(Edit: Cross-posted OP (link above) was mod removed by the Discord forum ‘admin’ on 2024-01-19 as being “False claim, false interpreted”, so the above link will no longer work.)
Recently read this on a Steam game’s reviews section …
User Comment…
The game’s Discord REQUIRES your personal phone number to get access at all. This is a very intrusive, and 100% unnecessary requirement, in order to just be able to interact with others about the game, it’s content, player experiences, and many other things. It’s also intrusive in regards to being able to contribute any input to help other players in any way at all.
Dev Response…
It’s Discord that’s asking you for verification of the account. We’re not getting your phone number. This is standard practice on bigger servers that allows for a better user experience, filtering bots/ spam accounts, trolls, etc.
Could companies please STOP lying about it being Discord’s choice, its not, is the Discord server’s choice to ask for it.
Its a “Verification Levels” setting that the server op sets, and they have multiple options that they can choose from, its not an on/off switch. They can dial it back one notch and still have spam/bot protections.
The only difference between “High” and “Highest” verification levels is the addition of asking for a phone number, all other features of “High” is in “Highest”, and “Highest” has no other extra features besides asking for the phone number.
Makes it really hard to have an pseudonym account on the Internet, for gaming purposes, and then be asked for your real phone number. I don’t need to be tracked 24/7.
I came across this issue on my own discord server, the system kinda encourages you towards those higher security levels without really being especially clear about what it will do to the user experience.
One thing I would clear up though:
I think both sides in the OP are correct here.
Yes, the server admin sets the security level that triggers those requirements.
But it’s also true that the server/admins do not get your phone number, that private information is only kept within discord’s verification system. It is not sent to the server admins.
it sucks, and it is absolutely necessary for some communities.
i work for a small game company and we have one or two people that have gone to extreme lengths to contribute hate and saltiness to everyone there. im talking dozens of alt accounts made over the course of years.
discord provides the tools for these verification paths. its a choice on behalf of the discord managers to enforce the different levels of verification, but it is absolutely discord that stores and verifies that data.
we’ve tried other methods before, like alt identifier bots, and ive been in communities that do personal ID verification, and neither of those are trustworthy.
discord is doing their best, and the kinds of people that complain about these things either are ignorant of the challenges such communities face, or are themselves the problem.
discord is doing their best, and the kinds of people that complain about these things either are ignorant of the challenges such communities face, or are themselves the problem
Did you really have to end a decent comment on a personal attack?
Have you not considered that people just want to keep their anonymity for other reasons?
That asking for such a personal piece of information, that has ramifications if it gets out in the wild, for such a minor thing like a discussion of a video game website, wouldn’t want to give their phone number? (Lots of server hacks these days on the news where people’s personal information gets out on the dark web, etc.)
I can’t prove a negative, that I’m not something, but for what it’s worth, I’m not the kind of person you described. I’m a retired computer programmer who is a decent human being.
None.(none)
Verified email. (Low)
Verified email + more than 5 minutes old account. (Medium)
Verified email + >5 mins old account + member of server for more than 10 mins. (High)
Verified email + >5 mins old account + server member >10 mins + verified phone number. (Highest)
Server admins can set the level. Some server sizes or types (community severs etc.) have a discord-mandated minimum level to qualify for the server type.
Normally (Medium) or (High) security is more than enough. Servers that experience raiding or high levels of trolling are recommended to choose (Very High) security as it makes it harder to make multiple accounts and evade bans or brigade a server.
Discord store the number. The server never sees those details.
Servers that ask for ID to ensure you are over age, are doing that in their own, and probably illegally handling that data, without adequate security.
The server sets the security level. Discord does the enforcing.
It IS discord asking for the phone number. But only because the server asked Discord to. But the server definately doesn’t see your phone number.
I run a game community server, and normally have security set at medium.
If raided, it goes to High.
If persistently trolled by a user or users that are ban evading (has happened only once), I turn it to highest for a bit.
But I turn it back down after a bit.
A bigger server might not get that luxury.
If a server has stupid high security settings, chances are they have active troublemakers.
FYI, the cross-posted OP (link above) was mod removed by the Discord forum ‘admin’ on 2024-01-19 as being “False claim, false interpreted”, so the above link in the OP will no longer work.
There’s plenty of posts/articles on the Internet that would say otherwise. My own personal experience says so as well, as I had already tried what you suggested previously. /shrug
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I came across this issue on my own discord server, the system kinda encourages you towards those higher security levels without really being especially clear about what it will do to the user experience.
One thing I would clear up though:
I think both sides in the OP are correct here.
Yes, the server admin sets the security level that triggers those requirements.
But it’s also true that the server/admins do not get your phone number, that private information is only kept within discord’s verification system. It is not sent to the server admins.
removed by mod
Probably “get one”. Or “use a friend’s”.
it sucks, and it is absolutely necessary for some communities. i work for a small game company and we have one or two people that have gone to extreme lengths to contribute hate and saltiness to everyone there. im talking dozens of alt accounts made over the course of years. discord provides the tools for these verification paths. its a choice on behalf of the discord managers to enforce the different levels of verification, but it is absolutely discord that stores and verifies that data. we’ve tried other methods before, like alt identifier bots, and ive been in communities that do personal ID verification, and neither of those are trustworthy. discord is doing their best, and the kinds of people that complain about these things either are ignorant of the challenges such communities face, or are themselves the problem.
Did you really have to end a decent comment on a personal attack?
Have you not considered that people just want to keep their anonymity for other reasons?
That asking for such a personal piece of information, that has ramifications if it gets out in the wild, for such a minor thing like a discussion of a video game website, wouldn’t want to give their phone number? (Lots of server hacks these days on the news where people’s personal information gets out on the dark web, etc.)
I can’t prove a negative, that I’m not something, but for what it’s worth, I’m not the kind of person you described. I’m a retired computer programmer who is a decent human being.
Or you could just ban people when they get out of line like we’ve done since the dawn of time, dont act like modding a discord is a high level job
Discord has 5 levels of user verification.
None.(none)
Verified email. (Low)
Verified email + more than 5 minutes old account. (Medium)
Verified email + >5 mins old account + member of server for more than 10 mins. (High)
Verified email + >5 mins old account + server member >10 mins + verified phone number. (Highest)
Server admins can set the level. Some server sizes or types (community severs etc.) have a discord-mandated minimum level to qualify for the server type.
Normally (Medium) or (High) security is more than enough. Servers that experience raiding or high levels of trolling are recommended to choose (Very High) security as it makes it harder to make multiple accounts and evade bans or brigade a server.
Discord store the number. The server never sees those details.
Servers that ask for ID to ensure you are over age, are doing that in their own, and probably illegally handling that data, without adequate security.
The server sets the security level. Discord does the enforcing. It IS discord asking for the phone number. But only because the server asked Discord to. But the server definately doesn’t see your phone number.
I run a game community server, and normally have security set at medium.
If raided, it goes to High.
If persistently trolled by a user or users that are ban evading (has happened only once), I turn it to highest for a bit.
But I turn it back down after a bit.
A bigger server might not get that luxury.
If a server has stupid high security settings, chances are they have active troublemakers.
What does the “5 minute” rule even do? Any bot can be programmed to wait that long, or have a few accounts lined up to use in sequence.
Just wanted to add that my OP has a link to the Discord page that breaks down each of the verification levels, if you want to read more about it.
FYI, the cross-posted OP (link above) was mod removed by the Discord forum ‘admin’ on 2024-01-19 as being “False claim, false interpreted”, so the above link in the OP will no longer work.
Use a google voice number or give it bunk data. But it is BS.
Google voice numbers do not work. Giving bunk data requires a text back, so can’t give a false number.
Worked for me?
There’s plenty of posts/articles on the Internet that would say otherwise. My own personal experience says so as well, as I had already tried what you suggested previously. /shrug
That sucks. Maybe they changed it recently or something. Darn. Well gl!
When I tried was over a year ago. Don’t know how long before that. /shrug
Hopefully, Matrix [Element & al ] and Revolt will catch up to discord